LUCIDMEDIA

Lucid News – June 12th

Written by Adam A. Donaldson Friday, 12 June 2009 09:54

In one of first of many new additions to the Lucid Forge website is this column, Lucid News. Lucid News is a weekly round up of hirings and firings, announcements and retractments from the worlds of film, music, pop culture and more. Lucid News will appear every Friday on Lucid Forge.

Headline: Alien Prequel a go, but not without Scott

Scuttlebutt says that 20th Century Fox is putting a prequel to the 1979 franchise launcher Alien on the fast track. The same rumour has it that the film will be overseen by the original’s director Sir Ridley Scott, who will produce, but not direct the eventual film. Not so fast, say Fox execs by way of a posting on Entertainment Weekly’s website. While Scott wants to turn the reins over to first-time filmmaker Carl Rinsch, a commercial director believed to be dating Scott’s daughter. But the studio has doubts and doesn’t want to entrust such a large production in the hands of a novice.  Naturally, no one’s talking. But sources tell EW that the studio is not interested in greenlighting a prequel unless Scott himself takes the helm.

Headline: Anvil Sees Rock ‘N’ Roll Dreams Come True

Canadian metal pioneers Anvil are finally getting their day in the sun nearly 30 years after they supposedly had their heyday. Bolstered by the success of the documentary about their trials and tribulations, Anvil has now been selected to open for AC/DC at a number of shows during the US leg of their tour. Anvil will open for AC/DC at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., and Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., next month, according to the Canadian Press. In other Anvil tour news, the band is scheduled to headline England's Download Festival on Saturday and will play in Winnipeg and Calgary later in June. A greater tribute to perseverance, there’s never been.

Headline: Jacko pushes back dates; gets sued again

Michael Jackson, or rather Michael Jackson’s people, have announced that the first four dates of his 50-night shows at London’s O2 arena have been rescheduled, although they stress emphatically that it’s completely unrelated to his health (or that whole ear controversy). Promoters and producers AEG Live said the rescheduling was done because of the "sheer magnitude" of the show and the desire for all the fans attending the opening nights to get the same experience planned for all 50 shows. The first of the supposed comeback concerts will now bow on July 13th rather than July 8th. AEG Live president Randy Phillips said in a release that because of the magnitude of the show’s production extra rehearsals are need to make sure all the kinks are worked out.

Meanwhile, Allgood Entertainment, which first threatened the lawsuit in May, filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Jackson in a U.S. federal court in Manhattan on Wednesday. The contract in question was a proposed Jackson 5 reunion concert, in which Jackson’s representatives agreed to conditions including one saying that Michael could not perform anywhere else before the event or for three months after it. Allgood claims that Jackson’s London shows are in violation of this agreement. "What were looking for... is for our clients to be involved in the London concerts or be compensated for agreements they entered into," Allgood lawyer Ira Meyerowitz.

Headline: Say it ain’t so: Changes to New Moon

Chris Weitz, director of the Twilight sequel New Moon recently took to the inter-web to calm fans who’ve heard that the second volume in the story of Bella and Edward was getting some radical re-tailoring on-set. “It’s impossible to be completely faithful to every single page of a book,” said Weitz to Movies Online. “But I would say that we’re definitely using the book as our bible. My take on this film is the film is the book and Stephanie Mayer is my main resource for everything in this. I’m constantly checking with her to see if it’s something a character would do or a detail is right.” Are fans appeased? Stay tuned.